


A Magic Bubble to Envy

by EtherMorlon



Series: Tony Stark's Domination of the Childcare Industry [3]
Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Adorable Peter Parker, Awesome Pepper Potts, Gen, Kid Peter Parker, Made Up Science, Parent Tony Stark, Pepper Needs a Raise, Precious Peter Parker, Stark Industries PR Department, Weird Magic, peter is deaged
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-24
Updated: 2018-08-24
Packaged: 2019-07-01 17:34:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15778827
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EtherMorlon/pseuds/EtherMorlon
Summary: From high-tech armor for fighting terrorists to an AI, Tony Stark can build it all. So, of course, when he acquires a mini, one-year-old Peter Parker after a misfired spell by a rogue sorcerer no one was surprised when he took the childcare industry by storm. Honestly, he was just trying to make life easier for both Peter and himself.Even the most high-end childcare products bought to help Peter is not good enough for Tony Stark. Tony can build better, and so, he does just that. This time around its a playpen that he builds, but of course, it's so much more.





	A Magic Bubble to Envy

**Author's Note:**

> The original idea from my list of cool kiddy inventions Tony will make: A playpen that's not some boring ordinary plastic fence around your child, no, this be a Stark invention beeyotch, its 360 degree touch screen fence surrounding your child with amazing speakers that provides your kid with amazing educational entertainment to keep devil children occupied, little Peter enjoying a movie where he feels like he’s one of the characters, like he actually feels like he's in Hogwarts or something lol

Tony and Pepper's adorable, little alarm clock did not come toddling and squealing into their room this morning. Their Spider-baby was usually up at the crack of dawn and happy to wake everyone up to get ready for the day. If Peter wasn't so cute and precious, Tony might have been grumpy about being woken up early. But of course, Peter was adorable and precious and all kinds of huggable and pinchable. And so, Tony let the pre-coffee morning grumpiness go and just accepted their adorable early alarm clock into their life. This morning, however, Tony and Pepper were woken up by Friday with her usual rundown of weather and their schedule for the day.

"Pete?" Tony asked, looking around groggily for his Spider-baby

"Peter isn't here?" Pepper asked, confused as well

"Peter is still asleep, Boss and Boss-lady. He seems a bit flushed and uncomfortable though." Friday replied

"I'll go check on him," Tony said, getting out of bed and walking to the room next to theirs.

The walls of Peter's room were decorated in tones of navy blue and white. Posters of many different superheroes and Star Wars covered the walls, while tiny, random lego pieces littered the floor here and there. The ceiling was filled with glow in the dark stars, resembling actual real constellations in space. Mini Iron Man and Spider-Man stood like sentinels on the nightstand near the bed.

Tony stepped into the room, walking gingerly across the lego littered floor and making his way to the bed where Peter still lay asleep. Friday had been right, there was a slight flush to his cheeks, and the toddler had made a mess of his blankets in obvious discomfort. Tony checked his kid's forehead and frowned at the warmth he felt.

"Friday, call Dr. Strange and let him know Pete has a temperature."

oOo

Let it be known that Tony Stark did not, in fact, panic and call Dr. Stephen Strange; Sorcerer Supreme and Master of the Mystic Arts, over the fact that his Spider-baby was running a bit warm at 7 am in the morning. All the while forgetting everything the doctor had informed him of about the re-aging process. Nope, that did not happen. What also didn't happen; never let Friday, Pepper, Happy and Rhodey say otherwise, was Tony Stark dragging everyone out of bed and haphazardly researching facts on colds, flu, pneumonia, and medications. Aunt May had also not been called informing her that Peter was dying. No, none of that had happened. Tony Stark does not panic. Tony Stark is the epitome of calm and collected. All naysayers are dirty, dirty liars.

One extremely cranky Dr. Strange had finally settled the entire hullabaloo after three cups of coffee, clearing the air on the fact that Peter was not going to die, his brain wasn't going to melt, and that, yes, a slight temperature was normal for the re-aging process. The sorcerer advised keeping an eye on the toddler and making sure he stayed comfortable.

After the sorcerer had left through his hastily cast portal and Aunt May had been called again; by Pepper this time, to inform that Peter would be just fine and that Tony was a drama queen, life returned to relatively normal. Relatively normal as opposed to completely normal because let's face it, their life rarely ever stayed normal for long.

Tony and Pepper both had a board meeting to attend, and someone needed to keep an eye on Peter, who was still fairly uncomfortable and very clingy to Tony because of it.

"I _stay_!" Peter whined, clinging to Tony and hiding his face in the genius' shoulder

Tony winced and pleaded with his eyes for Pepper to say something as he cradled the toddler in his arms and soothed a hand through the soft, brown curls. Unfortunately, all he got from the redhead was panicked eyes and what he knew was a crumbling will to cede to Peter's wishes. Not that Tony, himself, was ever better at denying Peter anything; aside from that one thing that shall never be discussed _ever_ again.

"Pete can come to the meeting with us. He can sit with Tony, and we have that playpen that he likes so much. It's only about an hour and a half long, then we can go for lunch. It should be fine." Pepper said, appearing to reassure herself more than anyone else

"I stay?" Peter asked, looking up with teary, wide brown eyes

"Yeah, of course, kiddo. You can come to the meeting with us. You can play with the mini heroes and relax in your playpen. It's a short meeting, and after that, we can have lunch. How's that sound, Spider-baby?" Tony asked, going along with Pepper

Happy snorted at the couple, "Weak." He received a sheepish shrug from Pepper, while Tony stuck his tongue out at the bodyguard

* * *

Richard had only recently joined the board of directors for Stark Industries, and as such he was still adjusting to the dynamics of the company. The board had already assembled in the appropriately titled boardroom and were waiting for Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts to arrive.

The door to the boardroom opened to let in Mr. Hogan who checked out the area and also installed some type of playpen like structure next to Mr. Stark's chair. Richard confusedly wondered why on earth something like that would be needed for the board meeting. He shook it off, however, as Mr. Stark was known for his many eccentricities and it wasn't worth wondering about.

Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts finally appeared 15 minutes late bearing donuts and a child. Mr. Stark was holding a _child_ in his arms! A few seconds later, the realization hit him that this must be Ms. Potts' nephew, although it still didn't make sense as to why the kid had been brought along to the board meeting.

"Apologies, apologies all around for the lateness, but we come bearing gifts! Everyone take a donut and let's start this shebang so we can get out of here asap!" Mr. Stark said as pleased as punch, and took his seat putting Ms. Potts' nephew on his lap and scrolling through the StarkPad in front of him

Richard's fellow board members stared at the man, who nonchalantly looked through his Starkpad with a child on his lap peeking curiously at the pad along with the genius.

"Ms. Potts, what is your nephew doing at this meeting?" A board member asked his grey mustache quivering in outrage

"I apologize, ladies and gentlemen, Peter was feeling a bit under the weather and needs an eye on him." Ms. Potts answered, seeming unaffected

"This is _entirely ludicrous_ , Ms. Potts. A board meeting is no place to bring a child. Could you not have hired a babysitter or had a guardian watching over him?" The same board member asked his face a blotchy red illustrating his dislike of the situation

"We both elected to bring Pete with us. It's a short meeting, and he can amuse himself just fine." Mr. Stark said, answering this time with narrowed eyes and a frown that discouraged further objections

"Ah. Alright then, I'm sure Ms. Potts' nephew will be fine just for this meeting. Let's get started. We're meeting today to figure out the production and sale for the robot figurines." Another of Richard's fellow board members said in a placating tone

oOo

That got the meeting started with discussions on features, prices, materials, designs and what heroes they would choose to depict for the figurines. Richard couldn't help staring at the child sitting so calmly with Mr. Stark. He had a sneaking suspicion that Mr. Stark was not reading any of the documents nor the analytics on the robot figurines they were discussing. Instead, the child and Mr. Stark sat there giggling and whispering at whatever they were watching on the StarkPad. Yes, he sincerely doubted that Mr. Stark was listening to the discussion at all.

As the meeting went along the kid had moved from Mr. Stark's lap and into the playpen. Richard doubted it could even be called a playpen, and he was very sure that Mr. Stark had built the thing. No one else would have the ingenuity or the motivation to try improving something so juvenile. He honestly wished to know what had inspired the genius this time around. Maybe another children's movie?

Richard continued staring at the kid in the playpen, Peter was sitting down next to the original toy robots; both on either side of him, and seemed to be watching Narnia. Mr. Stark would occasionally sneak glances down at the kid and smile when he saw the toddler still enjoying himself. It was apparent how much the billionaire cared about and doted on the child.

Richard knew he really should be listening to Ms. Potts on the facts and figures about the toy robots, but he was honestly more curious about the playpen. He was also a huge Narnia fan. It really couldn't be called a _playpen_ anymore. First of all, it wasn't just a hexagon of cheap plastic to encircle a child with, so that they could be kept in one place. The playpen was a giant circular transparent touchscreen. A giant 360-degree transparent touchscreen...for a child to watch Narnia in. The movie spanned the entire circle with the kid sitting in the middle with the toy robots. Richard wondered how cool watching Harry Potter would have been in the playpen. It probably would feel like he was actually inside Hogwarts along with the characters. Mr. Stark never did things by halves, Richard questioned why he was even surprised by the genius' inventions at this point.

However, Richard wasn't sure if the kid was just _watching_ Narnia either. By that, he meant, the scenes didn't look very familiar. And if there was one book series he truly knew by heart, it was Narnia. Richard _really knew_ his Narnia, he'd even read The Magician's Nephew and knew how Jadis came to be in Narnia. And so, he didn't recall Aslan and Mr. Tumnus ever talking for so long. Plus, Edmund had never broken out of the ice castle with a bow and while stealing the scepter. It had become very clear that the kid was playing a video game based on The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. The graphics were amazing! Amazing enough that he had thought it was the movie at first-

Aslan had called the kid Petey-pie! Aslan was addressing the kid with a pet name, and the kid was actually now having a conversation with the lion! Richard's mind was blown. He was definitely not jealous though. Not even a bit. Nope, not at all. It was in his opinion, however, that Mr. Stark should really consider expanding into the video game industry. Everyone on the planet would greatly benefit from it.

oOo

"My apologies for interrupting, but my sensors have picked up a projectile headed our way quite fast." Friday interrupted the meeting to the confusion and horror of the entire board

"Shit! Friday get shields up!" Mr. Stark barked out and suited up in an instant, faceplate coming down and eyes glowing arc reactor blue

Transparent shields rose behind the seats of the board members and encased them in a dome of protection. Richard spied the playpen next to Mr. Stark's empty seat doing the same and adding a double layer of protection for the child. The top of the playpen enclosed over Peter and the mini robot heroes, encasing the child inside a dome and the transparent screen of the playpen tinting dark all around.

"Tony, is Peter safe?" Ms. Potts asked from her seat inside the shield with everyone else

"Yeah, he's inside the playpen, the shield is activated. He won't be able to see or hear anything outside." Mr. Stark replied as he moved to the front of the large windows at the side of the room with Friday notifying that the large projectile was inbound in a few seconds 

* * *

 Soon the windows shattered and a large explosion went off inside the boardroom. Tony grunted at the force of the blast and looked back to check on the others. The board was perfectly safe behind the shield albeit shocked and scared. The suited hero looked out through the blasted in windows to see a masked man riding on a modified chitauri hovering chariot.

"Tony Stark! You are all that's wrong with the world! I'm here to destroy you and all that you stand for!" The masked man said, pointing at the suited genius

"What, you're against me advocating for clean energy? Innovative tech? Childcare products?" Tony asked with sarcasm dripping from his tone

"You fired me! You shut down my work! All my research, all my hard work! Its all gone and my reputation is down the drain!" The masked man shouted in rage

"Fired? Now, who exactly have I fired recently?" Tony asked humorously

"Woods! Frank Woods, Head of the Biochemical Division! I had everything until I was fired! Now, I have nothing! All of my research! You are to blame!" The man screeched at the suited hero, ripping off his mask and revealing his face

"Woods, I fired you because you were researching bioweapons. You might have been talented, but your research was beyond unethical. Stark Industries _does not_ make weapons anymore, and it definitely _does not_ condone the production or research of bioweapons." Tony said, his tone absolute and clear with no room for argument

"I was researching something great. I was going to make something amazing! You ruined it! You ruined it all!" Woods screamed out loud, pointing at the genius and his eyes wild

"You're research was unhinged, Woods. You are unhinged! There was no way your work would have been allowed to continue." Tony replied, looking back to see that the board members along with Pepper and Peter were still fine although astonished at the identity of the intruder

Woods screamed in outrage at the genius' words and pulled out grenades, "We'll see how unhinged I am when your skin is peeling off your face!"

Tony only let out a laugh, leveling a smirk and a repulsor to the man's face, "Yeah, we'll see about that."

oOo

One stunner to the face was all it took, but you could never be too sure with the crazies. So Tony shot him two more times just for good measure. Honestly, the one day he brings Peter to work along with him, and they're attacked by a mad, vengeful lunatic. _Geez!_ Another stunner was sent at the madman's face because of the worry and fear for Peter's safety.

After checking with Friday to make sure nothing else was amiss, security was called to cart the unconscious madman away, and the genius was finally able to take off the armor. Tony could see news helicopters circling the Tower and calls were already coming in to inquire about the explosion. He already knew a press conference was going to be needed. These days people got very twitchy about explosions and such happening in the city since it usually meant another new big bad had popped up out of the woodwork.

The shields for the board members finally receded after getting the all clear. Peter was still enthralled with the video game inside his playpen as Tony came up to the toddler. The shield over the playpens' top receded as he bent down to pick up his Spiderbaby.

"Hey kiddo, how was the game?" Tony asked, giving a kiss and a ruffle to a head of soft, brown curls

"Fun! Aslan coo'!" Peter giggled, nuzzling into the genius

"That's great, Spiderbaby. I'm glad you had fun. Maybe I can base the next one around Hogwarts or something." Tony said, as he sighed and held the toddler close, "Today was an interesting day so far, huh?"

"Go home, now?" Peter asked

"We can go back up in a just bit, Spiderbaby. I just have to take care of a few more things, and then we can enjoy lunch. I can't believe its barely 12." Tony said, letting out a tired breath

"Room messy," Peter commented as he gave the boardroom a critical examination.

"Ah. Yeah, bud. It seems we're gonna have to redecorate. Someone went a bit crazy in here." Tony answered humorously

Peter didn't have much of an opinion on the matter and took Tony's vague explanation in stride, electing to just snuggle into the genius' arms. Soon Pepper came over to the two and let Tony know that the press conference was ready to go. Peter was transferred to Pepper without much fuss, and Tony went to address the press about the Frank Woods situation. To assure the public that the lunatic had been apprehended.

* * *

 "'Ony where?" Peter asked Pepper, wriggling in her arms

"Tony is gonna be back soon, honey. He's just making sure that everyone is okay." Pepper assured, patting the toddler's back and holding him closer

The two were on the couch now in the penthouse watching the live news report of Tony addressing the media, with Peter in Pepper's lap and the redhead working through a StarkPad. Reporters and interviewers were crowded around the podium watching and recording the genius as he explained the situation with Frank Woods.

"Ony!" Peter exclaimed, pointing at the TV as it showed a close up of the man

"Yeah honey, he's talking to everyone over there." Pepper explained, holding onto Peter with one arm while coordinating cleaning crews, hiring an interior decorator, and scheduling new meeting times

The two watched the live news report as the press conference continued until the questions came around to shots from the news helicopters of the attack and explosion. People had noticed the bubble like thing inside the shield with the board members and were curious about what it could be.

Pepper's fingers froze over the pad. She knew what was about to happen and she watched it like an oncoming trainwreck with Peter in her lap so innocently oblivious. She watched as Tony opened his mouth enthusiastically explaining to the reporters about his newest invention for Peter. He was animated and gushing about the mechanics of the thing, eyes practically sparkling and hands gesticulating along with his words.

The playpen had come around during a lull in Tony's extremely busy schedule. The genius had absolutely refused to put Peter inside the designer, quality playpen that she had bought. His exact words had been, 'Boring. Ugly. He's not going in that. I'm making him something better. Throw that out.'

And so, in a few days, the playpen had been built. Boasting a 360-degree touchscreen, soundproofing, shielding from just about a large bomb, plenty of educational programs, and a couple video games that Tony had added. The games were usually inspired by whatever movies that Tony deemed Peter totally needed to watch so his Spiderbaby could understand his references. The one based on Narnia was the most developed so far, as Peter absolutely adored the characters and story. The educational programs were on math, science, history, English and even mythology. Peter loved the history tours generated by the playpen of ancient locations and cities, like Alexandria, the pyramids of Egypt, and Tenochtitlan.

She, honestly, wasn't very mad, Tony was ever so adorable as he piled more work her way. Already, she could see on the StarkPad the number of emails and notifications climbing, and she could only imagine the number of calls coming through to the PR department. She was going to owe another gift basket to Tina. That woman was a godsend to Stark Industries.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I finally shared my pseud with my irl friends and omg! my friend actually read out loud Toy Robots to End All Toy Robots on a video call! I just about died! She really loved it though so I'm super happy! I'm just super shy about telling actual people I know about what I write and stuff.


End file.
